BZPRPG: Ga-Wahi

OOC: Gonna have to hold off on the Raknar post for a bit, gents. Assume he's sailing - not swimming - towards shore, and I'll post as him later.IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)I'm not sure what I expected.When I pictured a Valkyr, I pictured a sort of abomination, something that had crawled from the pits of a hellhole so dark and dank that Makuta couldn't come out of it without losing his lunch slightly, or perhaps something that could kill you with a single blink and came with so many fangs that you would've sworn it had the head of a Muaka. What I did not expect as I walked further away from the center of Ga-Koro, however, was a Toa-like being, with alabaster colors and blood-red streaks - almost like war paint, I noted - throughout her armor. I didn't expect her to be wearing a Mahiki, just like a normal Toa, and I didn't expect the high-heel like feet and the claw-like hands. Most of all...I didn't expect the wings.They were a bright white, with almost a beige hue to them; they stretched out to a length that could have mummified a Toa my size if they were wrapped around me, and they shone, wet and gleaming, in the early morning sun of Ga-Wahi as I took a second to look them over. The creature before me was almost an angel, and for a second, I could sympathize with the poor, doomed Danerys, who had so desperately wished to learn about these beings. Then my thoughts of empathy turned to thoughts of chastisement as I realized I had left my pistol with Nikarra, so as to avoid a confrontation with Nixie. That was foolish; rushing in to fight her weaponless, especially if a fight wasn't necessary, was even more so.So I stood resolute, like a statue, leaning against a cottage, and watched as the Valkyr turned towards me, never wavering as her eyes met mine.-Teezy

Ic: Anthyn easily shoved her body gracefully through the water with her wings, propelling her from deep blue water to a nearby pier in one massive shove, even with Savina clutching on Anthyn's ankle and generally being a dead weight. As the Valkyr prepared to ascend from the water to the dry dock, though, she spotted a curious man looking at her intently from a hut. She could only wonder what it was that captivated the toa's attention; her beauty, her difference, her actions, or her myths, all were possibilities. Not that she cared, however, and she broke off the eye contact as soon as it began before she easily lumbered from the bay water to the wooden dock's safety from the restricting bay water.To be surrounded by air again was an immaculate feeling to her, and she wanted nothing but to shake off the rivulets of liquid that flaked off her wings and gushed out of the gaps in her armor. She stretched, opening her vast wingspan wide and flapping them, releasing a fountain of drops as she dispersed them, and then promptly folded them behind her back and shimmered them from sight, rendered hidden by a gentle tug of her mask power. But the toa still stared, intent as ever. Anthyn now wondered something else about the man; not what sparked his curiosity in her but rather what emotions he exhibited. Everybody was always in some kind of mental state, whether it be calm or enraged, sad or curious. What was this toa like inside?Savina clambered up on the dock, not quite as easily as her master had, and asked what they were going to do then. "We're going to wait," Anthyn answered."What are you looking at? What does that man want?" Savina pressed, noticing where her angel's eyes had drifted."I don't know," Anthyn said in a low tone. "But if he wants something from me bad enough he will come to me himself. There is no need to fall victim to someone else's curiosity." And then she severed the connection and disappeared behind the huts and stands of Ga-Koro, blending in with the populace as easily as if she had been a Ga-Matoran, and Dorian could not see her anymore.

IC, Perkahn:(Beach)"We're attacking them for the bounties on their heads. Speaking of which, I've been thinking, people. We could attack them right now, yes. Or we could talk to them. It'll be a bit more profitable if we try to strike a deal with them. See, I've got the feeling that if we abuse their internal conflicts, we can find ourselves in a win-win situation."He made a pause, thinking of how to continue. "There's a few Mark Bearers that aren't really on good terms with the others, the way I understand. We can charge the ones over there," he pointed over his shoulder, towards where a small group of them was located, "capture them, get money from the nearest law enforcement group. Or we could try making a deal with these ones, grab the aforementioned few, and get money from the nearest law enforcement group and whatever we like from these Mark Bearers, there, further up the beach.""You choose."

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro) She had disappeared. This was of no consequence to me; I spun around and turned back towards the village, ignoring the gradually panicked look of the other Toa, the one who had been with her. From her muted tone and her weak physical stature, it stood to reason she was someone who had been involved with the ritual. If so, did the Valkyr know where Salvinn was? Could I, perhaps, find the location of the Mark Bearing Vortixx from the young woman - if indeed she was either of those things - who I had just seen walking the beach, looking for all the world like a stained glass angel on a church wall? Time to find out.I made my way into the village itself and scanned each and every inhabitant; no doubt the Valkyr had changed her appearance, but that wasn't important. I knew she would be different; she had an aura, an air of superiority that extended around her, its tendrils skimming everyone she deemed unnecessary to her cause. She had a gait about her; this is how I would find her. With this in mind, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet feel of the Ga-Koro morning air entering and evacuating my lungs, and I started my search of the streets.-Teezy

IC: OnuzekThe hulking Ba-Toa followed Toa-Friend-Skyra as the Le-Toa followed Angry-New-Ta-Toa and Doctor-Ga-Toa. That was fine with Onuzek, as the massive Toa didn't want Angry-New-Ta-Toa to hurt himself. Or anyone else. But then again, the Toa of Fire seemed fairly calm right about now.From behind Skyra, the massive Toa of Gravity waved, grinning as the Le-Toa infront of him introduced himself. Onuzek had heard something about "fighting" and "training", which got the big guy kinda excited. What better way to fight and train then with friends?OOC: Hakilve post soon, don't worry.

IC (Kelp)Kelp raised an eyebrow behind his Kaukau.I like this fella already..."Sounds like a plan," he said. "Just one slight...suggestion."Kelp moved a little closer to Perkahn."Because it seems to me that our goal here is to make money, right?" he continued. "Well, if we want to maximise our profits, why not take BOTH options?"Once again, that glint had appeared in the Toa's eyes."I say we make a deal with these ones, catch the others an' get their bounty, collect payment from the aforementioned, and then turn THEM in. Maximum profit."And maximum fun.

Ic: Anthyn had not only melted from Dorian's view but from Savina as well. In a flash of her mask, she had gone from elegant toa to perky Ga-Matoran. She didn't really know how to be perky, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and so she did, merely adopting the mannerisms of almost everyone else around her. As Savina looked around, panicked, she suddenly felt cut off from a stream of life as her link to Anthyn grew dimmer with the lesser proximity between the women. She started to say Anthyn's name repeatedly as she stumbled through the market.Her ingrained ability as a saboteur came to light, traits shived into her persona when she became Anthyn, and Anthyn was now a regular fisherwoman named Kee and she was on her morning trip to market to purchase spices and fruits.In an instant, she had adopted a name, an alibi and a personality, flawlessly. But now she wanted to play a game. The toa had meandered into the village, too, no doubt to seek her out... but she would be much harder to find, and she would also tease the toa as well. She grinned. This was going to be more fun than she had had so far in her time on the island.

IC, Perkahn:(Beach)"Like I said," Perkahn nodded, his face boasting an expression that was neither pleased nor disappointed, "it's up to you. The part of the profit that I want is guaranteed for me anyway. Though I do have to say that sounds like a plan I'd rather agree to."The Toa of Iron scratched his chin. This wasn't a bad idea. The crew could have their profit, he'd have his amnesty, everyone'd be happy."I'm okay with anything 'slong as it's got us killing something. Soon."Perkahn's eyes jumped to the dinghy that approached, carrying Raknar and a few other crewmembers. His gaze focused on the Skakdi. Lately, the captain's mood was pretty screwed up, and Perkahn could not blame him. Nor could he blame Gunner for being annoyed at Raknar's leadership, which, to be honest, mostly consisted of a botched attempt to kidnap Turaga Onewa for ransom... and insulting Gunner for being annoyed at the aforementioned leadership. Or Grochi being tired. It was merely a symptom of the virus, the evidence of the approaching climax point, after which the crew would spiral out of control and no doubt either kill each other or break up. They were a band of misfits, a glorious band of misfits, and their dysfunctionality lately began to show."Well then, Gunner, everyone else, I suppose you've nothing against Kelp's plan?OOC: mild bunnying allowed by Tyler

IC: Dorian (Market, Ga-Koro)Protip 1: This woman is slick. Watch yourself. Never take an alibi at face value, never trust a face too easily, and whatever you do, what-EVER you do, if you have to engage in a fight, do not do so in the village itself. With that mask, she could manipulate the whole Koro into coming after me.With my casual dress, lack of weaponry, and disarming grin, I managed to make my way through the market with no suspicion; I carefully scanned the crowd around each of the stands, looking for anything that stood out. I let my eyes sharpen up a bit and turned to the fruit stand owner, a cheerful looking Le-Matoran, as I set down three widgets and plucked the best looking pear from his stand. I made my way away from the Le-Matoran, popping out the stem with a small stick of iron and taking a bite; it was soft, sweet, and juicy, just what I needed to shock my senses back into overdrive. Tracking on a full stomach was never a bad thing, as long as you didn't get too absorbed in the food. With this in mind, I began to slowly encircle the market itself, stopping every now and then at a stand to give the appearance of a shopper.Protip 2: She's toying with me. This is a game. Don't get too engrossed with it, or you'll be all the more unprepared when she tears you away from the board.-Teezy

IC: EndriinThe former Monk noticed Kalios walking by, and went up to him, writing as he went. When he reached him, he held the scroll in his face.You look like a warrior-type. Care for a sparring match?OOC: I'm so screwed

IC: Savina - Ga-koro -Savina continued to wander the koro aimlessly, calling Anthyn's name frequently. It didn't help that she really didn't know her way around Ga-koro to begin with. As for the strange Toa of Iron, Savina had done her best to avoid him while she was at it, something about him really unnerved her, not that most people didn't. For the moment she felt truly alone, she briefly though of her ash bear, Grecko, she wondered where he was, if he was still with that Toa of Plantlife.She quickly put those thoughts out of her mind and began to look even harder for Anthyn, as impossible of a task as it might seem to find one with a mask of shape-shifting.

IC-Praggos:Bah, the fool doesn't even find his own mark interesting enough to learn more about it, Praggos thought, a wave of contempt for this seemingly apathetic Toa, his marking ticking up by a few minutes, though he sighed, and laughed."Well then," he said with a grin, "I think you're more than likely to find a few more of us Mark Bearers here, Toa." That said, he quickly walked past Invictus, patting him lightly on the shoulder as he walked on to a music store.

IC (Kelp)Kelp folded his arms and appraised those crewmembers who had arrived, waiting for their reaction to the plan.

Ic: Anthyn moved with the crowd's native flow, never lingering in one place for longer than the others around her did, and as she meandered next to people she plucked widgets from their purses and pockets effortlessly, using them to continue her charade. But as she jumped from stand to stand, she looked around, ostensibly to find another merchant though in truth simply to keep track of the man-toa. But unlike Savina, who kept her distance, Anthyn made it a point to pass by him every once in a while. A measured distance would breed suspicion, but erratic dives by him would seem regular, and also afforded her an opportunity to snoop in on his actions. But from the look of it, he was certainly looking for her, if not discreetly. He circles, like a vulture, trying to monitor the radius for her. Well then, I might as well tease him.For an instant, just a split second, her power faded away. For Dorian, it was almost haunting: One second it was a sea of blue matoran, and the next there was a tall white angel in the middle of a group, standing erect like a towering marble statue among midgets, staring at Dorian himself. People started to part as the angel unfolded around them, but before they would even scamper a step away, Anthyn had metamorphosed into Kee once again and vanished.

IC-Grochi:"Are we going to get on with it?" Grochi asked from behind Perkahn and Kelp, obviously bored.IC-Praggos:As Praggos walked on to his music store, however, in the midst of the large group of Matoran walking about he suddenly noticed another tall, Toa-like being, but...wings? Really? He would wonder if he was going insane, but he also noticed Dorian moving about as well, seemingly looking for something...He shrugged."Guitar first," he muttered, walking on into the music shop, "Mysteries later."

IC (Kelp)"Well," said Kelp, "Raknar seems to have given his approval, so...shall we?"

IC: Dorian (Market, Ga-Koro)It was the kind of sight that even made me apprehensive: she was an apparition, a splinter in my mind, staring right at me, and then she was gone. The Ga-Matoran shook their heads and began to go about their business again, and where Anthyn stood a second ago, there was emptiness. My body tensed marginally, unable to be seen by the naked eye, and I readied myself and redoubled my efforts with my eyes as I took a final bite of the pear.For a split second, my gaze fell onto a Ga-Matoran wearing a Miru, walking east from where Anthyn had stood just seconds before; she was heading towards a spice stand. My vision narrowed in on her and I examined her face for a heartbeat, making a mental note of her, before turning back to the market at large. I wanted to smirk, but my face remained stoic: I had her.-Teezy

IC: Savina - Ga-koro -Savina noticed Anthyn immediately, it was pretty hard not to notice the commotion. By the time Savina had reached where she had been however, she had vanished once again. Savina noticed in the corner of her eye Dorian, he seemed to be looking for Anthyn just as intently. Savina stopped, maybe it would be better if she didn't look for Anthyn after all. Calming down a bit, Savina got out of Dorian's sight and sat down on a bench. Savina decided she could handle waiting...for a little while anyway...maybe...

IC Yasurek- Beach with Infernavika crew:"Let's," Yasurek agreed. He had come along to relieve his boredom, but he would prefer not to actually do any of the talking. Manipulating and making deals was what the other crew members were good at while he just sort of acted as an invisible stabilizer. If anything went wrong he would be ready to fight but for the moment this was a time for other members of the crew to take the lead. Besides, he was a matoran in a group of toa and a skadi. It would seem odd to the mark bearers if he did the talking.

IC (Kelp)"Well, if we're ready, I suggest we get movin'," said Kelp. "Let's find these Mark Bearers."He turned, and began limping in the direction of the one group of bearers, his rusted armour clanking.OOC: Just to check, who are the ones we're making a deal with?

Ic: Kee kept an eye on Dorian as she stalked away, which came in handy very well. She had already deduced what kind of man this toa was: A hunter, stalker, dedicated mercenary, and at least somewhat learned in the art of espionage. The glance at Kee was all Dorian needed -- a glance she had detected -- the energies that radiated from Dorian told her that much. She didn't need to see an expression; the vibes told her all she needed.She went into a crowd before she arrived at the spice shop and dropped a persimmon. As she bent down to pick it up, however, her mask and body shape melted and reforged itself and when she got up again she had a new body altogether, the transformation hidden from view by the small crowd of shoppers. She changed direction, too, feeling the need to divert her attention and linger in the market a bit more. A little longer here and then we'll see what the toa wants from me.

OOC: I'm aware of Tank, Tuara, and Kearstrunn, there may be more.IC, Perkahn:(Beach)Perkahn, rounded by this group of crewmen, battleaxe in hand just in case, made his way towards that poor, damaged-looking gang of Mark Bearers that the Toa of Iron he saw escape terrorized oh so well."Why, hello," he said as they approached into the Mark Bearers' hearing range. "Can't help but have noticed the marks on your shoulders. Can't help but have noticed I think I may have seen you at Tillian's wedding. Can't think but notice we currently are in a bit of a predicament here."He paused, waiting for the Bearer group to make any response.

IC: Dorian (Market, Ga-Koro)The Matoran was gone. There was no anger on my face, not a murmured curse, not even a flicker of impatience; my eyes, however, seemed to focus on the area the spice stand was at, and I began searching the faces and Kanohi of those who had been at the spice stand when Anthyn was there. Sure enough, after several seconds of searching, I found one that had walked away that just wasn't there before. I started to track this Matoran with my gaze, flicking it away every now and then to look like I wasn't stalking her. This was for the benefit of the villagers moer than the Valkyr: I knew full well that she knew full well that I had caught her.Now, to see what she did about it...-Teezy

IC (Kelp)Kelp stood to one side of Perkahn, letting him do the talking for now.

Ic: Anthyn detected those vibes again. The toa had won round one; now it was time to step the game up a notch. Once 'Kee' bought all that she needed she turned and walked out of the marketplace, farther towards the open water side of the village. She left Savina behind, hopefully luring the toa after her to play the next step of the game. She had been found all right -- now it was time for the catch part!She walked behind a hut away from view of the marketplace and tipped her basket over, spilling the groceries all over the lilypad floor and scampered away.

IC: Dorian (Market, Ga-Koro)"But don't you want to buy one--""No, sorry," I said with a sympathetic smile. "I've just seen someone I know, and I really need to go and ask them something..."I moved away from the stand and away from the core of the marketplace, buying a second pear and finally exiting; I had seen Anthyn duck behind the huts, and I used my somewhat rusty knowledge of Ga-Koro's terrain and geography to bypass that particular part of town and take a side road that would lead me past the market and in a semicircle to the opposite part of the residential area of the Koro. From there, stay the course, keep going straight, and we would end up meeting in the middle. Smiling to myself, I took a bite of pear and cut left. In about a minute, I was out of the road and encircling the huts, scanning the perimeter for the Valkyr as I went.-Teezy

Ic: "Are you always like this?" 'Kee' said in her childlike voice and demeanor as she emerged behind Dorian, somehow having escaped even his fervent search. She appeared as the diminutive Ga-Matoran Dorian had been chasing earlier, not an angelic being of might. "Like... Watching me bathe from afar is one thing, but it takes a very curious kind of man to come looking for me like you did. What's your name, mister?" she asked.

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)"Only when I see something that interests me."My steps slowed and stopped; I looked down, my chin brushing my upper chest, and laughed quietly, a whisper in the wind that faded and died after a second. I straightened and looked up, turning over my shoulder and meeting the disguised Valkyr's gaze. She was small in this form, adolescent, couldn't have been much younger than the Toa, Hau, back in the casino. I leaned against the hut easily, the side of my head brushing the closed glass of the window."My name's Dorian. Yours? The real one, please. I've got nothing to hide; least I could ask is that you give me a grain of truth, as well."-Teezy

Ic: "When I'm like this my real name is Kee," Anthyn replied. "I think that's good enough, eh?""Good enough for now," Dorian replied, and that was good enough for Anthyn, too."So now that we've got that much settled, I have to ask... what about me is so interesting? Aside from being a changeling winged freak to your kind, that is," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she shrugged cutely, emphasizing her teenaged attitude in her adopted persona.

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)"Now freak is a bit of an overstatement,. To me at least," I replied with a shrug. "Toa define many beings as freaks. I could be a freak, depending on your viewpoint. Anything in this village is an oddity to anything else. That's the way things work here. No, what intrigues me about you is the fact that you're so new to this world, and yet, you carry a...weariness...to you. As if you've been here before, eons before I was even a concept in the mind of whatever deity one cares to believe in, and now you're just coming back to your old stomping grounds. At the risk of sounding cliched, you have an old soul. Eight of them, to be exact. And that's what interests me."-Teezy

Ic: "Ohhh, I see what you're getting at," 'Kee' said, and at that dropped her charade. Her mannerisms, her speech, her attitude instantly came to the fore again as Anthyn the Valkyr. Her stance, previously even-footed and firm, became seductive and in line as she came forward a couple steps. An apple emerged in her hand from thin air and she took a bite. "Yeahhhh, that. I can see why that would excite someone enough to seek me out." A smirk appeared at a corner of his mouth as she swallowed the fruity morsel. "So what about it?" she asked as she raised an eyebrow for a second and tilted her head a few millimeters side to side.

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)The Matoran stepped forward, practically bleeding charm and sensuality, and I merely smirked a bit wider as I turned my gaze away from her and towards the open water of Ga-Koro; my arms, which had been previously been crossed at the abdomen, relaxed and slid gracefully into my pockets. I knew her game, because it was one I'd won at several times in the relatively short time that had lapsed since I joined Bad Company."Well, at first, I came seeking an acquaintance, one who was at your ritual," I admitted. "Wanted to see if he could've survived this long. Then I saw the Toa you'd brought with you: muted, cold, the spark of life missing from her eyes without you there to give it shine, and I realized he has to be alive. Then, my interest became seeing if you were all that you were cracked up to be. So far, you haven't disappointed. Cheers for that."-Teezy

OOC: That was indeed an epic conclusion. However, as The Mask has as of now given me permission to play as Telric, we want to keep the plot going a bit further, and the fire is inescapable, I give you...this.IC - Telric - BoatTelric's men hadn't stood a chance. Of course, as each fell, the marines would realize that under their mask, all but a handful towards the front were gagged. The weapons were tied to their hands. It was too late to help what could've been innocent citizens fighting for their lives as they were either impaled or blazed to oblivion.The Toa sputtered, trying to pull himself from the flames. As he watched Agni leave him to die, his blue eyes met the Toa of fire's. There was a plea. Not just that, either. There was something even more shocking. There was a look of betrayal. Why? Agni might never have figured out. What he might've have figured out, however..Telric's eyes were red. A cackle rang out in the background, but was soon smothered by crackling flames as the ship sank and the Toa of lightning burned to ashes before their eyes. And then it was over. Was Telric really dead? It could only be hoped. Had Telric simply switched with a lookalike?That mystery had the potential to haunt them for eternity.------The Matoran boat was speeding away. It had split up from the rest, going to a more distant dock. It was already at least five kilometers away from the other boats. On the deck, three Matoran were playing cards. The Matoran's conversation had drifted back and between subjects, eventually settling back down onto the recent mission."Am I the only one who saw a Toa on top of the mast?""Yeah, probably." her colleague drawled."No, seriously. I saw him." she insisted."Yeah, right. Let me guess. It was a spirit of death, come to pull lost and dying souls to the pit of Karzahni?""Stop mocking me. I really did see something.""It was probably a trick of the light.""In the dark?""I meant by the light of the fire, moron.""I don't know, it just seems-"CLANG!The boat skidded to a stop. The two marines stood, visually scanning the boat. They found nothing, but didn't cease. The third Matoran at the card table lifted her hat. She was no marine."Maybe it was a spirit of death."The last thing they saw was a Toa jumping out of the water before they felt crossbow bolts spring out of their heads. They each dropped down out of the boat. Telric nodded in approval. Stepping to the front, he tossed the Matoran steering the craft into the water. "The Boss is impressed by your performance. But he does ask what happened to his first lieutenant.""He burned.""He also says that, if you pay a weekly tribute to him, he is willing to promote you."Telric looked at her as though she had grown two more heads. After chuckling nonchalantly, he wrenched the crossbow out of her hand and aimed it squarely between her eyes."Screw you guys. I'm starting my own criminal empire.""No, wait, please!"She was silenced as a bolt shot through her skull and into her brain. Steering the boat towards the Kumu Islets, he cackled wildly."See you in Karz, Agni!"

IC-Praggos:Now, Praggos had a guitar. Why? He wanted to play one. It was the first guitar he'd had in years. Time to see if he still new one of his favorite songs. Sliding a capo over the sixth fret, he began to play a simple melody-and, surprising multiple people (Kal Grochi included), he began to sing."Hello darkness my old friend...I've come to talk with you again..." he sang, playing a song that had fallen out of popularity a few years back-though, obviously, those newer Matoran who didn't know the song seemed to like it alot.

Ic: "Really? Well, now I'm the curious one here, Dorian," Anthyn said. "What were you expecting?""I expected something taller," Dorian replied.Anthyn scoffed in irritation at the remark. "Yeah, well, I expected someone a bit more classy than a mocker. Is this usually how you treat every extra-dimensional being who eats souls for morning snacks? Because if it is, I can't say you're the brightest killer in the universe.""I'm new at this game," Dorian conceded. "I've never met an extra-dimensional being who eats souls before.""Well let me give you a few basic rules to the game," Anthyn chided, not sounding amused by Dorian anymore. "One: Don't insult that being. Two: Don't stalk that being just because you're curious. And three: If you so happen to follow one around after breaking the first two rules, don't waste the being's time by talking meaningless chatter. If you fail to do those things, it can lead to, um, let's just call it 'disqualification.'" She smiled sinisterly. "You listening?"

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)Grokk would LOVE this woman."Yes, ma'am," I replied, raising my hands in a placating gesture. "My apologies, though, to be fair, you ran away before I could actually approach you."I didn't know if this counted as meaningless chatter or not, but with each barb she and I exchanged, I started to regret leaving the pistol less and less; God only knew what else she could do to me if she managed to grab it off me. From the physical evaluation I'd gotten of her at the beach, she was obviously powerful: she had lifted herself onto the dock with no trouble, whereas Savina had struggled for minutes. The wings would provide for dexterity beyond that of even my athletic form, and I had no doubt that those claws were just as sharp as her smile, and just as disarming. This was rapidly going downhill...-Teezy

Ic: "Don't patronize me," Anthyn warned him. "I don't need your excuses. You think you're so good and tough that you can do what you want. I can sense that part about you. Maybe you're a pretty cunning person, but you're failing in this game. And in this game, Dorian, you win or you die," she said as she took one final bite from her apple before tossing it into the water. "So what's it going to be, hotshot?"

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)Why me? Is this for all the stuff I did at the casino...?My eyebrows, meanwhile, raised slightly, but I made no other facial expression, merely deciding to stew over my words for a second; it was fairly obvious this woman was raring for a fight after being cooped up in God-only-knew what kind of other dimension for God-only-knew how many years, and I knew that if it came down to it, she could very probably win. She wasn't angry, my Mark could tell me that much. She just saw me as...alien. Probably not a threat, I was beneath her in that regard, but an alien nonetheless.And, I realized, probably a bit of an annoyance as well."I've always loved winning," I finally replied, accepting the fact that this was probably about to come to blows.-Teezy

Ic: Anthyn's voice became softer suddenly, more measured with anticipation. The sly vague smile returned as well. "Well winning isn't going to happen by talking big," she said, turning her face to the side just a little. "Whatcha gonna do? Hit me, or just let me rip you into salami with my wings?"

IC: Dorian (Ga-Koro)"Hey!" I said suddenly, turning to face her again. "Hey. You can insult me, and I'm cool with it. You can degrade me, and I'd be cool with it. But don't try and turn me into a misogynist. It's not gonna happen. I am not hitting you first."Oh, come on, Dor, just hit her. She might not even be a woman! Who knows how gender works with Valkyr? Haven't you ever read a horror book? Creatures like this never have a set gender! What are you doing, what are you doing, why aren't you hitting her...?I stood still, hands no longer in my pockets, but not raised towards her either. I just kept them on either side of my thighs and watched her as she cocked her head slightly to the side.-Teezy